Growing up, many family activities revolved around food. Not that all we did was sit around and eat, but whatever it was we were doing, there was guaranteed to be plenty of my mom's delicious cooking.
Like the time we went to the park for a picnic and had just gotten settled when a park ranger came by to let us know picnicking wasn't allowed in that area. It took a billion years to pack it all back up because my mom's idea of a "picnic" was a twelve course meal.
We camped a lot, and there was always lots of good, wholesome food that always tasted that much better after being outdoors all day long. And how could I forget the time my mom wrapped a roast in three layers of heavy duty aluminum foil and duct taped it to the manifold of the truck? She's fun like that.
Now that I have my own family, food usually figures plainly in our gatherings. There is nothing more satisfying than good conversation with good company and something good to eat.
Most of my fondest memories usually involve some sort of occasion with food, but there's something else that has developed from my childhood. Whenever I have to pack food or make food for something, I'm wracked by a terrible fear of somebody going hungry. My brother calls it "being Polish," but I would find it completely unacceptable for someone to come to an event at my house and go away not having eaten enough. Leftovers can be eaten, but what if there's not enough food?
One of my coworkers likes to joke about the size of my lunch bag, but she's also partially right. I use a reusable grocery bag to tote my food for my shift and it's always pretty heavy. You'd think that after all this time, I would realize that I'm not going to starve to death during an eight hour absence from home, or that every week I pack myself two seltzer waters, two string cheese, and two cereal bars, in addition to my main lunch and fruit, and every week I return home having eaten or drank exactly half of that. But what if one day is unusual and I'm especially hungry or especially thirsty? Do you see why I can't pack just one seltzer?
Here's another example--last fall, when packing for our annual trip to Ocean City, my husband watched me cramming item after item into grocery bags and asked, "Do you really think we need all those apples?" (His concern was partially because he didn't want to waste food, but also because he's the one who gets to pack the van with all the luggage.) In this case, it turned out I was right. Not only did we make a sizeable dent in all the food I packed, but I ended up going to the store for more fruit before the week was over.
Johnny's last day of preschool was today, and I spent a large part of my evening packing items for the graduation picnic tomorrow and thinking about what food to take. On my picnic menu are two different kinds of sandwiches, three different kinds of fruit, Goldfish crackers AND string cheese AND Kashi bars AND a whole brand new box of sugar cookies from Safeway, plus juice and water. It seems like a lot of food for a three hour picnic, and chances are the kids aren't going to want to stop playing long enough to eat, but the fear is still there. What if someone is hungry and there isn't enough food?
It will be interesting to see how much of that food comes home with us. In the meantime, I think I'll go stick another couple of bottles of seltzer into the bags.
Like the time we went to the park for a picnic and had just gotten settled when a park ranger came by to let us know picnicking wasn't allowed in that area. It took a billion years to pack it all back up because my mom's idea of a "picnic" was a twelve course meal.
We camped a lot, and there was always lots of good, wholesome food that always tasted that much better after being outdoors all day long. And how could I forget the time my mom wrapped a roast in three layers of heavy duty aluminum foil and duct taped it to the manifold of the truck? She's fun like that.
Now that I have my own family, food usually figures plainly in our gatherings. There is nothing more satisfying than good conversation with good company and something good to eat.
Most of my fondest memories usually involve some sort of occasion with food, but there's something else that has developed from my childhood. Whenever I have to pack food or make food for something, I'm wracked by a terrible fear of somebody going hungry. My brother calls it "being Polish," but I would find it completely unacceptable for someone to come to an event at my house and go away not having eaten enough. Leftovers can be eaten, but what if there's not enough food?
One of my coworkers likes to joke about the size of my lunch bag, but she's also partially right. I use a reusable grocery bag to tote my food for my shift and it's always pretty heavy. You'd think that after all this time, I would realize that I'm not going to starve to death during an eight hour absence from home, or that every week I pack myself two seltzer waters, two string cheese, and two cereal bars, in addition to my main lunch and fruit, and every week I return home having eaten or drank exactly half of that. But what if one day is unusual and I'm especially hungry or especially thirsty? Do you see why I can't pack just one seltzer?
Here's another example--last fall, when packing for our annual trip to Ocean City, my husband watched me cramming item after item into grocery bags and asked, "Do you really think we need all those apples?" (His concern was partially because he didn't want to waste food, but also because he's the one who gets to pack the van with all the luggage.) In this case, it turned out I was right. Not only did we make a sizeable dent in all the food I packed, but I ended up going to the store for more fruit before the week was over.
Johnny's last day of preschool was today, and I spent a large part of my evening packing items for the graduation picnic tomorrow and thinking about what food to take. On my picnic menu are two different kinds of sandwiches, three different kinds of fruit, Goldfish crackers AND string cheese AND Kashi bars AND a whole brand new box of sugar cookies from Safeway, plus juice and water. It seems like a lot of food for a three hour picnic, and chances are the kids aren't going to want to stop playing long enough to eat, but the fear is still there. What if someone is hungry and there isn't enough food?
It will be interesting to see how much of that food comes home with us. In the meantime, I think I'll go stick another couple of bottles of seltzer into the bags.
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5 comments:
Thanks for stopping by to "visit" me!!! My Nana would pack fabulous picnics for the beach - devilled eggs, pies, sandwiches, pickles - you name it - she brought it - then I started packing for the beach and my four girls: big thermos of Countrytime Lemondade, sandwich for each - maybe a treat - I'm sure they remember better than I do - but is was really simple! I respect what you do!
I'm the same as you, and maybe even a bit worse? I always keep "emergency snacks" stashed in the cars and in my bag...just incase the over-packed lunch bags I packed weren't enough! I can't help it. i did it before I had TheGirl, and I do it more-so now that she's here. For me, it's more about the fear of getting stuck somewhere longer than anitcipated and having to deal with an over-tired, over-hungry toddler. ONE "OVER" AT A TIME! My husband always laughs at me, too. but really, I'd much rather bring home a little extra food then be foreced to stop somewhere and be at the mercy of a gas station or drive-thru to feed us
I'm the same as you, and maybe even a bit worse? I always keep "emergency snacks" stashed in the cars and in my bag...just incase the over-packed lunch bags I packed weren't enough! I can't help it. i did it before I had TheGirl, and I do it more-so now that she's here. For me, it's more about the fear of getting stuck somewhere longer than anitcipated and having to deal with an over-tired, over-hungry toddler. ONE "OVER" AT A TIME! My husband always laughs at me, too. but really, I'd much rather bring home a little extra food then be foreced to stop somewhere and be at the mercy of a gas station or drive-thru to feed us
I have a thing where my blood sugar plummets, so I am always keeping snacks in my bag and small treats to tide me over....I love how you are so thoughtful in what you bring, especially the balance you achieve....I have to work on that!!!
I have weird blood sugar crashes too. I keep tons of food in my purse and diaper bag and then every time I leave the house I throw in another kashi bar and package of ritz peanut butter crackers. Every time. But I usually eat them too...so it all works out! I FEAR being hungry. Majorly.
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